WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa., July 28 /EMWNews/ -- The

following is by Bob Moore of the Moore Foundation:



    Six years ago -- July 31st to be exact -- I received the phone call

every parent dreads. My ex-wife was on the line, "A policeman came to the

house tonight, and he told me Andy was in a car accident in Canada." Her

voice cracking, she added, "He died!"



    Andy, our 19-year-old son, lost control of the van he was driving after

its left rear tire suffered what experts call tread separation. It

violently peeled apart and the van rolled five times, ending up on its roof

in a ditch in the median. Andy's best friend also died in the accident.



    The next week was a surreal blur as we did what no parent should ever

have to do -- bury their child. It was weeks before I could sleep, and

months before I stopped thinking about him 100 times a day. Things got

worse when the family of Andy's friend sued Andy's estate and Firestone,

the maker of the tire. As the owner of the van, I was also named as a

defendant. It was during legal discovery we learned the shocking fact that

the tire that failed was installed in April, 1997, but had actually been

manufactured in June, 1993. In other words, I had no idea that the "new"

tire that I bought for my family van was nearly four years old, and by the

time of the accident it was over nine years old.



    Transport Canada, Canada's transportation safety administration, found

that age degradation had contributed to the failure of the tire, which had

only 31,000 miles of use and plenty of tread at the time of the accident. I

took this and other related tire-safety information to an attorney, Jane

Marton of Donald Manchel and Associates, and joined the suit, which was

settled in October, 2007, more than five years after the fatal accident.



    Like most people, I believed that if my tires passed state inspection

and had sufficient tread, they were safe. I didn't know that tires became

dangerous as they aged. I had no idea that, as is still the case today,

there was no state or federal law preventing retailers from selling tires

of any age as new and fit for service. In many foreign countries, it is

illegal for tires older than six years of age -- no matter the appearance

or depth of tread -- to be in service because they are a threat to the

vehicle occupants and others. No one can dispute that the deaths of Andy

and his friend were preventable. If only I had known that tire was not what

it appeared to be, but an accident waiting to happen, I would have replaced

it in a heartbeat.



    Enough already. It is time for the federal and state governments to

protect Americans from the hidden danger of aging tires. We have "sell by"

and "use by" dates on eggs, milk and countless food products, but no such

safety guidelines for tires. Retailers should not be allowed to sell four-,

five- and six-year-old tires as new. Dangerously old tires should be

removed at state inspections, regardless of how much tread remains.



    No act of Congress or a state legislature will bring back our son or

his friend. But their tragic loss should be remembered as we work together

to urge officials to enact new tire safety laws that can only save lives.

Contact your elected officials and also check your tires and replace them

if they are over 6-years-old -- it just may save your life or the life of

someone you love.



    Bob Moore, a Trustee of the Andy Moore Fund, resides in Washington

Crossing, Pennsylvania. More information can be obtained at

http://www.andymoorefund.org and http://www.safetyresearch.net/tires.htm.